Chapter 252 - Auto-Pause (2)
The three of them managed to arrive at her doorstep without falling. Gael watched as Angela punched in the code to her door, his stomach doing a little backflip when he discovered that she hadn't changed her code.
'Maybe not yet. She might change it later when you leave,' said the voice in his head, crushing his hopes.
As soon as the door opened, Giovanni pushed his way inside and ran towards the bathroom near the kitchen. Gael thought it was out of his uncle's way to actually wait until he got to a bathroom to throw up. Gio could have just puked out in the streets. Now Gael wondered if his uncle was just acting drunk, or was suddenly too picky where to hurl, or he was doing this on purpose so that they could get to Angela.
Either way, they were here in her apartment—something Gael had wanted since last night. Angela went to get some face towels and a glass of water. He stood outside the bathroom while Gio puked his brains out, trying to avoid making a mess in someone else's bathroom.
"I should have stopped you when you asked for the Grey Goose," regretted Gael, referring to the vodka brand that his uncle asked for after finding out he'd been drinking water. The Grey Goose they shared until he got himself drunk too.
Giovanni flushed the toilet and washed his face with cold water in the sink. "How are you not sick? You've caught up with how much I drank and probably more. Are you a robot or something? And you haven't even drunk for months."
Gael softly chuckled. Oh, he was drunk, all right. He should be passed out somewhere, but he was too preoccupied to lose consciousness. His head swirled, and so did his vision, and he thought all of this was just a dream, and he might still be in the backseat of the SUV. But that didn't matter. Angela was standing only a few feet away. She glanced up at him and held his gaze for a good five seconds before looking away. If this was a dream, he didn't want to wake up just yet.
"How's your stomach?" he worried.
"Better now."
"Did you drink a lot last night?"
She shrugged, tugging the hem of her hoodie. She didn't know how to talk to him right now when her heart was still battling with her head.
"Do you guys want some coffee?" she probed, darting her eyes at Giovanni who came out of the bathroom wiping his face with the towel she gave him. "Or Gatorade..."
"That sounds heavenly." Giovanni walked past her and headed straight to the living room, where he dove into the couch. "I'm just gonna sit right here for a minute," he said as he proceeded to stretch his legs and lie down.
Gael sighed, walking towards the living room. "I'll carry him out and let you go back to rest." He didn't want to leave yet, but he also didn't want her to feel uncomfortable because they invaded her morning.
"It's okay. Let him rest for a bit before you go. He seemed really intoxicated." Opening the refrigerator, Angela grabbed two bottles of Gatorade and set them on the kitchen island counter. She also set aside two tablets of antacids for them near the bottles. "You should hydrate too."
He nodded and saw the box of Reese Puffs cereal that's toppled on top of the counter with some of the contents spilled out, a tub of hummus, and an open pack of sliced carrots. Angela didn't like leaving out food on the counter. As per what she told him at the elevator, he assumed she woke up and then went out to get some medicine, which only meant the food was from last night—perhaps when she arrived. Was that all she ate?
He hadn't eaten anything either, but he wasn't important right now. Studying Angela's expression, he noticed that her eyes were a bit swollen. She was sick, and had been crying. This made him feel even more terrible.
Without thinking twice, he took her hand and pulled her with him towards the bedroom.
"What are you doing?" Her eyes widened.
"You shouldn't be up. You're not feeling well."
He made her sit on the bed, her brows furrowing at him, looking confused. "I'm okay now. I already took medicine."
Gael pressed his lips into a thin line and wordlessly nodded at the bed as if telling her to lie down. And like the little puppy that she was, she followed his order. He then pulled the blanket over her, tucking her in nicely.
He sat on the bed with his back facing her, feeling relieved to be in the same room as her. The atmosphere was silent, and neither of them dared to talk for what seemed like forever until he did. Resting his elbows on his knees, he told her, "I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. But it seems like whatever I do, I only end up doing so."
He glanced over his shoulder and then reached to brush a lock of hair away from her face. "Go back to sleep."
Angela gripped her sheets and bit her bottom lip. She yearned for him—that she couldn't deny.
He got to his feet and exited her room, closing the door behind him. She thought he was leaving, but faint sounds were coming from the kitchen a few seconds later.
***
Gael removed his coat and rolled up his sleeves. He cleaned up her mess on the counter and made some sugar-free instant oatmeal. For someone who didn't cook, at least she had some food that was very easy to make. It wasn't as good as rolled oats, but it's better than nothing—and it's what she needed right now.
But fûcking hell! Making food while drunk was not a piece of cake. He chugged down the whole bottle of Gatorade and shook his head to wake himself up. As if that wasn't enough, he did some quick push-ups and then splashed his face with cold water.
He felt good enough to handle a knife to cut some banana. The good thing about Angela's lifestyle was how she loved eating fruits, so she always had some on her counter. He put the banana slices on top of the oatmeal and dropped a dollop of smooth peanut butter on top.
Tempted, he scooped some of the peanut butter and shoved the spoon into his mouth, facing downwards. First meal in sixteen hours. Yum.
Gael scanned the counter and found a pen and a pink sticky notepad. She always left some all over the place—in case an idea popped in her head. When he finished writing his note, he brought a tray with the food and drink to her bedroom, careful not to spill any—proud he walked straight.
She must have been exhausted because she was asleep when he came back. He didn't want to wake her, so he gently set the tray on the bedside table. He'd already overstayed his welcome. It was time to leave.
"Goodnight, Angel," he whispered before leaving her room.
***
Angela opened her eyes an hour later. She shot up into a sitting position, realizing that she had fallen asleep. She only meant to close her eyes for a second to clear her head, but it seemed like she had dozed off for a long time.
Just as she was about to roll out of bed, she noticed the tray on the table with a pink sticky note attached to the bowl.
[ Eat up. You're meant to take medicine with food.
I'm sorry I look like a mess when you saw me. I like me better when I'm with you. ]
Angela pouted. He just had to make her heart skip a beat.
"Gael… What am I without you?"